Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Bringing together perspectives from psychology, sociology, women's studies and media studies, Sarah Grogan assesses what we know about the social construction of body image at the end of the twentieth century. She compares the effects of gender, sexuality, social class, age and ethnicity on satisfaction with the way we look and suggests how these differences arise. Why, for instance, are heterosexual men much happier with their body images than women or gay men? And is it true that older women are less satisfied with their bodies than younger women?